Department of Agriculture

Timeline

2016.11.30

The Agriculture Department says Cuba has the potential to increase production of crops if foreign investment were to expand, but the industry is anxious about Trump's lack of a clear position on Cuba.agweb.com(See also Cuba)

The USDA rescinds order stopping staff from releasing any "news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content."thehill.com(See also First 100 Days)

2017.02.03

USDA abruptly purges animal welfare information which had been freely available, were used to monitor animal treatment at circuses, scientific labs, breeding facilities and zoos from its website.washingtonpost.com(See also First 100 Days)

2017.07.20

The Department of Agriculture's chief scientist oversees more than 1,000 scientists in 100 research facilities: Trump's pick to run the agency is Sam Clovis, a climate-denying talk-radio host who not only lacks any kind of scientific degrees -- he didn't take a single science course at university.boingboing.net(See also Climate Change, Assaults on Facts, Assaults on Government)

2017.08.07

The decision to pull out of the TPP trade deal has become a double hit: the promised bump of $10 billion in agricultural output over 15 years, based on estimates by the U.S. International Trade Commission, won’t materialize, and Trump’s decision to withdraw from the pact also cleared the way for rival exporters such as Australia, New Zealand and the European Union to negotiate even lower tariffs with importing nations, creating potentially greater competitive advantages over U.S. exports.politico.com(See also Foreign Policy, Trans-Pacific Partnership)

2017.08.10

Sam Clovis, Donald Trump's pick to be chief scientist for the Department of Agriculture, pushed unfounded theories about then-President Barack Obama's upbringing and called then-Attorney General Eric Holder a "racist black."cnn.com(See also Racism, False Statements)

Sam Clovis, Donald Trump's pick to be chief scientist for the Department of Agriculture, pushed unfounded theories about then-President Barack Obama's upbringing and called then-Attorney General Eric Holder a "racist black," a CNN KFile review of Clovis's writings and radio broadcasts during 2012 and 2013 has found.

2017.09.21

Donald Trump’s appointees to jobs at the USDA include a long-haul truck driver, a country club cabana attendant, and the owner of a scented-candle company, among other campaign staff and volunteers who have no experience with federal policy, much less deep roots in agriculture, or even college degrees, normally required to qualify for higher government salaries.politico.com(See also Assaults on Government)

The Trump administration has finalized a rollback of school lunch regulations championed for years by former first lady Michelle Obama, relaxing restrictions on what can be served, and efforts to limit sodium content in school lunches have been delayed or partially eliminated.abcnews.go.com(See also Sonny Perdue, Reversals)

2018.12.20

The Trump administration unveiled a plan to force hundreds of thousands more Americans to hold jobs if they want to keep receiving food stamps, pursuing through executive powers what it could not achieve in Congress.washingtonpost.com(See also Americans in Poverty, Sonny Perdue)

The move would bypass Congress after lawmakers declined to pass new work requirements as part of the farm bill.